Car coupling



Oct. 14, 1952 CLARK 2,613,820

CAR COUPLING Filed Sept. 20, 1948 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 INVENTOR I BY I 4 4 I ATTORNEYS Oct. 14, 1952 N. CLARK 2,613,820

CAR COUPLING Filed Sept. 20, 1948 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 J4 U @\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\Q 2 jVaZizanz'eZ 610/7 7:

INVENTOR 1 BY I I I 1 ATTORNEYS.

Patented Oct. 14, 1.952

:'2,613,820 CAR court-Lisle, NathanieI ClaI-k, Madison; WLVaif I I n 4 Application September 20, 1948,..SeriiNd a e 3 ,;i 1 Claim. (o1. zitrse);

This invention relates to improvements-in. car couplings. I

An object of the invention isto provide an improved form and construction of car coupling, especially adapted for use. on mine cars. 7

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved car coupling for various types of cars which will automatically couple two cars when bumped together without any assistance from a brakeman or operator.v

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved form and construction of car coupling which will automatically couple two cars together without assistance from a brakeman, and which may be readily releasedby lifting up on a release lever.

A still further object of the inventionis to,-provide an improved car couplin which iwill. be highly efficient in use, andrelatively inexpensive to manufacture and produce.

Other objects will appear as the proceeds.

In the accompanyingi'drawings which. form a part of this application,

description Figure 1 is a side elevation of an end of: a car equipped with the female portion of the improved car coupling;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of an end of a car equipped with the interengaging male portion of.

the improved car coupling;

Figure 3 is a bottom plan view of the car and female coupling portion shown in Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a bottom plan view of the car and male coupling portion shown in Figure 2;

Figure 5 is an end view of the car and female coupling portion shown in Figures 1 and 3;

Figure 6 is an end view of the car and male coupling portion shown in Figures 2 and 4;

Figure '7 is a perspective view of the pivotally supported locking cam arm;

Figure 8 is an enlarged detail view showing the shape of the outer end of the locking cam arm, and

Figure 9'is an enlarged perspective view of the male coupling loop. I

Like characters of reference are used throughout the following specification and the accompanying drawings to designate corresponding parts.

In carrying out the invention, there is shown and provided an improved form and construction of car coupling including the cooperating draw heads generally designated by the reference numerals l and 2 respectively attached to the adjacent ends offthe are shown 'The draw head! attached" to the end he car 3 comprises the upper; and lower'jaw mere as of themine car type.-

bers 5 ands which'are'disposed' infve'i'tically spaced-relation and betwe' which the-resilient UI-sh'apeguide plate I is se 'redbymeafis of the bolt,8.. IThe'outer' ends ofjthe' guide plate Tare outwardly flared as at 9 and 10,; being. 'ar uately bent. 'Angle;iron arcuatfesi'd'e guide members I! and [2 are s'ecuried'by' the'units l'3jjto thefupper surface. ,of the lo er fiared'end IU of the guide plateT. f

e A"tran'sverse ly extending hinge bracket Iii is secured'by theb'olts' I 5'to the: end of the car 3'and rotatably supports the central portion 50 of the release shaft which; is provided with the. depending actuating lever I 6, on its outer end and" with the forwardly extending arm" I51 atits'rinner end. Parallel ears l8 are formed in' the. outer." end of the arm I'Land transversely aligned' slots. miare formed through said 'eai'sfor receiving. across 'bolt' 20 which extends through the apertured upper" end of the locking bar or rod 21 mounted for verticalmovement through the; bushing 22 supported; between" the L sh-ape am 23" secured by bolts 24th the endofthe' car 3' and the-upper flared end 9 of the guide plate 1, and the lower end of said bar or rod 2! is adapted to pass through aligned openings 25 formed through the ends 9 and ID of the guide plate 1 when two cars 3 and 4 are coupled together.

An L-shape angle stop bracket 26 is secured by the bolts 21 to the end of the car 3 directly above the forwardly extending arm I! to limit the upopenings 25 and for supporting the lower end of the locking bar or rod 2| when the coupling is not in use. A lower laterally extending arm 34 is formed on the gate arm 28 and is connected by the link 35 with one end of a bar 36 pivoted centrally upon the bolt 31 to the bottom of the car 3, and a second link 38 is connected between the opposite end of the bar 36and a coil spring 39 anchored at 40 to the bottom of the car 3 for normally and resiliently holding the arm 35 and trip head 33 in its forward position.

The draw head attached to they end of car 4 comprises the upper and lower jaw members 3 4| and 42 which are disposed in vertically spaced relation. A supporting plate 43 is pivotally mounted upon the lower jaw member 42 upon the inverted L-shape pin 44 which extends through aligned openings 45 and 46 in said jaw members 4| and 42. An L-shape guard bracket 41 is secured by the bolts 48 to the end of car 4 directly above the upper end of the pin 44 to V prevent accidental removal or the loss of the same. -Oppositely disposed vertical guide flanges-Hand 50 are. formed integral with the supporting plate 43 and extend upwardly at right angles thereto.

A double ended interconnected coupling member comprising links and 52 is supported ings formed therewith, a vertically novable coupling pin slidable through the aligning openings, a curved horizontally swinging trip gate arm pivotally mounted between said jaws, said ate arm having-a wide-flat head formed on the -free end thereof,"movabl e"to a position between said aligning openings, a coiled spring having ;one end anchored against movement, connectin links between the other end of the spring and upon the plate 43 and held from removal by,

the pin 44, with the sides of the inner link' 5i in engagement with the guide flanges 49 and 50. The adjoining ends of the links 5| and 52 are'fiat and are in contact with each other, being secured together by the bolt 53. 1

A bell-crank supporting and positioning lever 54 is pivoted at 55 to the bottom of car 4 and has its "outer end oflsetand extending upward- 1y, terminating in a 56'disposed about the lillk'BZ, whilethe opposite end of the lever 54 is attached to one end of a coil spring 51 whose opposite end is anchored to a. bracket '58 attached to the bottom .of car 4. A spring clamp finger 59' is attached by the rivets B0 to'the inner'end of the link 5| for holding and reinforcing the coupling'member when. being coupled. I

From the foregoing description, it will be'apparent that when cars 3 and 4 are bumped together, they will be automatically coupled, and when they are to be uncoupled, it isionly necessary for a-brakeman to raise upon the lever I6 to raise the rod or pin [2| to permit the link 5| to pull free fromthe draw head onc'ar 3.

While the preferred embodiment of the instant invention hasb'ee'n illustrated and described, it will be, understood that it is notintended to limit thescopeof the invention therewas many minor" changes in detail of construction may be resorted to. without departure fromjthe spirit of the invention. v j

I Iaving thus described my invention, what I 'said trip gate arm normally biasing the gate head to aposition directly under said coupling pin providing a support on which the coupling pinnormally rests, a substantially large vertical flange rising from'one edge of said gate head normally lying within the space between said jaws, and a cooperating draw bar having'a link anchored thereto, adapted to move against said flange of the gate head, moving said gate head from a position under said pin when cars are 'being'oouple'd, releasing said coupling pin, said coupling pin movingto'a position within the link anchored to the draw bar, securing said link and draw head together.

. a. I V NATHANIEL CLARK.

REFERENCES CITED The followingplreferencesare of record in the 111s, of fthis patent; f I g g UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 395,040 Davis et-al. Dec. 25, 1888 9553,426 Roberts et al; Jan. 21, 1896 1,681,616 Koontz et a1; Aug. 21, 1928 2,112,020 Hammond Mar. 22, 1938 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 15,668 1. Great Britain of 1910 26,690 Great Britain Nov. 29, 1911 

